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Fulltext Measurement of nicotine withdrawal symptoms: linguistic validation of the Wisconsin Smoking Withdrawal Scale (WSWS) in Malay

Awaisu A, Samsudin S, Amir NA, Omar CG, Hashim MI, Mohamad MH, et al.

BMC Med Res Methodol, 2010;10:46.
PMID: 20492717 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-10-46

The purpose of the linguistic validation of the Wisconsin Smoking Withdrawal Scale (WSWS) was to produce a translated version in Malay language which was "conceptually equivalent" to the original U.S. English version for use in clinical practice and research.
Fulltext Tobacco use prevalence, knowledge, and attitudes among newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients in Penang State and Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Awaisu A, Nik Mohamed MH, Abd Aziz N, Syed Sulaiman SA, Mohamad Noordin N, Muttalif AR, et al.

Tob Induc Dis, 2010 Jan 12;8(1):3.
PMID: 20148105 DOI: 10.1186/1617-9625-8-3

BACKGROUND: There is sufficient evidence to conclude that tobacco smoking is strongly linked to tuberculosis (TB) and a large proportion of TB patients may be active smokers. In addition, a previous analysis has suggested that a considerable proportion of the global burden of TB may be attributable to smoking. However, there is paucity of information on the prevalence of tobacco smoking among TB patients in Malaysia. Moreover, the tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of TB patients who are smokers have not been previously explored. This study aimed to document the prevalence of smoking among newly diagnosed TB patients and to learn about the tobacco use knowledge and attitudes of those who are smokers among this population.
METHODS: Data were generated on prevalence rates of smoking among newly diagnosed TB patients in the State of Penang from January 2008 to December 2008. The data were obtained based on a review of routinely collated data from the quarterly report on TB case registration. The study setting comprised of five healthcare facilities (TB clinics) located within Penang and Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur health districts in Malaysia, which were involved in a larger project, known as SCIDOTS Project. A 58-item questionnaire was used to assess the tobacco use knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of those TB patients who were smokers.
RESULTS: Smoking status was determinant in 817 of 943 new cases of TB from January to December 2008. Of this, it was estimated that the prevalence rates of current- and ex-smoking among the TB patients were 40.27% (329/817) and 13.95% (114/817), respectively. The prevalence of ever-smoking among patients with TB was estimated to be 54,220 per 100,000 population. Of 120 eligible participants for the SCIDOTS Project, 88 responded to the survey (73.3% response rate) and 80 surveys were analyzed (66.7% usable rate). The mean (+/- SD) total score of tobacco use knowledge items was 4.23 +/- 2.66 (maximum possible score=11). More than half of the participants (51.3%) were moderately dependent to nicotine. A moderately large proportion of the respondents (41.2%) reported that they have ever attempted to quit smoking, while more than half (56.3%) have not. Less than half (47.5%) of the study participants had knowledge about the body system on which cigarette smoking has the greatest negative effect. The majority wrongly believed that smokeless tobacco can increase athletic performance (60%) and that it is a safe and harmless product (46.2%). An overwhelming proportion (>80%) of the patients believed that: smoking is a waste of money, tobacco use is very dangerous to health, and that smokers are more likely to die from heart disease when compared with non-smokers. The use of smokeless tobacco was moderately prevalent among the participants with 28.8% reporting ever snuffed, but the use of cigar and pipe was uncommon.
CONCLUSION: Smoking prevalence rate is high among patients with TB in Malaysia. These patients generally had deficiencies in knowledge of tobacco use and its health dangers, but had positive attitudes against tobacco use. Efforts should be geared towards reducing tobacco use among this population due to its negative impact on TB treatment outcomes.
Fulltext Evaluation of an intensive education program on the treatment of tobacco-use disorder for pharmacists: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

El Hajj MS, Awaisu A, Kheir N, Mohamed MHN, Haddad RS, Saleh RA, et al.

Trials, 2019 Jan 08;20(1):25.
PMID: 30621772 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-018-3068-7

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is presently responsible for the death of over seven million people across the world. In Qatar, it is one of the main causes of premature deaths and preventable diseases. To reduce tobacco use, Qatar has ratified the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and has implemented many tobacco-control initiatives. In spite of these measures, tobacco use is still considered a public health threat in Qatar. Pharmacists practicing in retail/community pharmacy settings are often the first port of call for individuals requiring general health advice. Evidence has proven that they have a pivotal role in health promotion and disease prevention including tobacco cessation. However, pharmacists in Qatar are not actively involved in tobacco control and many have not received any education or training about smoking cessation counseling in the past. In an effort to build the capacity of pharmacists towards tobacco control in Qatar, the aim of the proposed study is to design, implement, and evaluate an intensive education program on tobacco dependence treatment for pharmacists in Qatar.
METHODS/DESIGN: The study will be a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing an intensive tobacco-related education program versus non-tobacco-related training on pharmacists' tobacco-use-related knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and skills. Community pharmacists practicing in Qatar will be eligible for participation in the study. A random sample of pharmacists will be selected for participation. Consenting participants will be randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. Participants in the intervention group will receive an intensive education program delivered by a multi-disciplinary group of educators, researchers, and clinicians with expertise in tobacco cessation. A short didactic session on a non-tobacco-related topic will be delivered to pharmacists in the control group. The study has two primary outcomes: post-intervention tobacco-related knowledge and post-intervention skills for tobacco cessation assessed using a multiple-choice-based evaluation instrument and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), respectively. The secondary study outcomes are post-intervention attitudes towards tobacco cessation and self-efficacy in tobacco-cessation interventions assessed using a survey instrument. An additional secondary study outcome is the post-intervention performance difference in relation to tobacco-cessation skills in the practice setting assessed using the simulated client approach.
DISCUSSION: If demonstrated to be effective, this education program will be considered as a model that Qatar and the Middle East region can apply to overcome the burden of tobacco-use disorder.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03518476 . Registered on 8 May 2018. Version 1/22 June 2018.
Patients' insights into unused medications during the COVID-19 outbreak: A qualitative study

Makki M, Shafie AA, Awaisu A, Hussain R, Al Hail M, ElMotasim WM, et al.

Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm, 2024 Dec;16:100517.
PMID: 39435401 DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100517

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak had significant global healthcare implications, including the use of medications. This is specifically evident in the surge in use of some medication and a decline in the use of others. As a result, some medications end up unused, which may have subsequent health, economic, and environmental impacts.
AIM: To explore patients' insights into unused medications during the COVID-19 outbreak.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 patients attending various public and private healthcare facilities in Qatar between January and July 2021. A thematic analysis approach was utilized, with 2 researchers independently analyzing, comparing, and discussing the coding. The resulting themes were further discussed in research group meetings until a consensus was reached.
RESULTS: Seven themes emerged: awareness of unused medications and their impacts on health, economy, and the environment; barriers contributing to nonadherence/unused medications; sources of medications; factors facilitating medication use; patients' behaviors toward donated medications/reuse; patients' awareness of medication storage requirements; and patients' desire to appropriately dispose of unused medications.
CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 outbreak disrupted medication supply and adherence, resulting in an increase in unused medications and inappropriate disposal. Adherence is crucial for improving patients' health and preserving medications. Implementing mail-return systems for unused medications could be a viable solution during disease outbreaks.
Fulltext Patients' knowledge, attitude, and practices toward unused medications in Qatar: A cross-sectional survey

Makki M, Akmal Shafie A, Awaisu A, Hussain R, Al Hail M, ElMotasim WM, et al.

Heliyon, 2024 Jun 30;10(12):e31931.
PMID: 39015807 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31931

BACKGROUND: Global evidence has linked unused medications and their inappropriate disposal to adverse health, economic, environmental, and ethical impacts. However, such evidence is scarce in Qatar. This study explored patients' knowledge and attitude toward unused medications and their practices toward medication supply and disposal (KAP) in Qatar.Materials and methods.
STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using a pretested questionnaire was performed between February 2020 and October 2020. Descriptive statistics, Man Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis Rank-Sum tests were applied. The Chi square test assessed the association between socio-demographic characteristics and KAP scores. Characteristics that were found significantly associated with KAP (i.e., p-values <0.05) were further included as predictor variables in the multiple linear regression model.
RESULTS: All items pertaining to patients' knowledge were found to be good (mean score > 3), except for "awareness of unwanted medication return policy" (mean score < 3), i.e., the lowest level of patient agreement (31 %) (median (M) = 3, Interquartile Range (IQR) = 3). Their attitude was generally good (mean score > 3). Conversely, their practice toward medication supply was poor (mean score < 3). Possible future use was the most reported reason (79 %) for keeping medications at home, and home trash was the most widely disposing place of unused ones (76 %). Knowledge was significantly higher among non-laborers and other occupations than among patients with no work (p